If you run a small business, you already know how tricky it can be to provide a technology infrastructure for your growing company. Among other things, you need to be mindful of the budget and the technical resources and skills needed to run your operation. Before you jump to any conclusions, consider your options with an eye not only toward present needs, but also future expansion. And technology is only one aspect of your choice; human resources--whether you have or can find the talent you need to implement your choice--is at least as important.

This fall, Microsoft expects to release Small Business Server 2000--an update to its integrated software bundle aimed at small, growing companies. I recently test-drove Small Business Server 2000, and it is an improvement over the previous release of the software bundle. But Small Business Server 2000 is not the only game in town. Microsoft's software bundle presumes you have $3,000 to $4,000 to spend on software alone, and that you have the technical staff to manage the server and your end-user computers.

If you do have the money and the technical resources, Microsoft's Small Business Server is a good deal for up to 50 end-users. And the company describes its software bundle as being the "gateway" to its forthcoming .NET strategy.

But other Windows suites are better if your needs differ from Microsoft's target 50-employee company. If you wish to remain on the Windows platform, (but need to support up to 100 users, and have the technical resources), you might also consider IBM's Small Business Suite for Windows. It offers the same type of functionality as the Microsoft bundle at about the same cost, but is more scalable.

There are lots of other choices, too, if you're willing to make more fundamental changes in your architecture. For example, you might consider IBM's Small Business Pack for Linux. It includes a database, e-mail and collaboration tools, and Web serving. Even though it costs substantially less than Windows-based small-business software, it still presumes you have in-house technical staff to manage it.

For many small businesses, it may be more cost effective to outsource the technology infrastructure needed to run the company. There are application service providers (ASPs) that can manage your network, servers, end-user machines, and your applications. Pricing varies depending on what you need, but outsourcing is worth looking into--especially if you do not have technical people in-house.

Two different approaches

Because we only have room to review two of these options, I decided to test Microsoft's Small Business Server 2000 versus IBM's Small Business Pack for Linux. For my testing, I presumed that my test company (50 users) had some money as well as the technical staff required to set up and maintain the configuration. My test company needed e-mail and collaboration, a database, and a Web server to support its intranet.

First, Microsoft's Small Business Server 2000: I did have the required hardware to support the server and client configurations as outlined in the documentation. The installation process was much improved over the last version of the software bundle.

The integrated setup routine let me install and configure the operating system and the applications with ease. The software bundle includes the Windows 2000 operating system and Windows 2000 application components. Key among these is Exchange 2000 (e-mail and collaboration), SQL Server 2000 (database), and Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2000 (formerly known as Proxy Server). The Internet Information Server (Web server) is included in the operating system.

Microsoft's Small Business Server also has other functions, including the sharing of fax modems, regular modems, and Internet connections. You can also remotely manage the configuration, which is useful if you don't have technical staff and have asked an ASP to install and manage the software for you.

My test company needed the e-mail, collaboration, database, and Web services supported by Small Business Server. But my test end-users also needed a productivity suite to create business documents and spreadsheets. Microsoft's Office is not included with Small Business Server 2000; it must be purchased separately and installed on the end-user machines. Since I was sticking to my budget, I installed Sun's StarOffice on my end-user machines and it worked fine.

The administrative tools included with Small Business Server made it easy to set up my network configuration, my end-user machines, and my applications. The Microsoft software bundle is especially useful if your in-house technical talent is marginally experienced. The graphical management tools will be easily understood by nearly any savvy staffer.

Linux and small biz

Next, I decided to try setting up the same functionality for my test company using IBM's Small Business Pack for Linux. The software bundle did not include the operating system, so I installed Red Hat Linux on both my server and on my client machines. Red Hat's recently upgraded setup routine made the installation of both the server and the clients quite automated and very trouble-free.

IBM's Small Business Pack for Linux includes Lotus Domino (e-mail and collaboration), DB2 (database), and WebSphere (application serving). The setup routine was straightforward and I was up and running in short order.

Like Windows 2000, Linux includes a Web server (Apache), Web browser, and e-mail client (Netscape). Like my previous test setup, I installed Star Office for my end-users during this test, too.

I was able to use the administrative tools to configure services-both operating system and applications. Most all of the tools either provided a Web-based management interface or a graphical X-based interface.

Results

Looking at the results of both of my test setups was interesting. I was able to provide the same functionality for each test company of 50 users. However, there are subtle differences between the two approaches.

Microsoft's Small Business Server 2000 integrates both the operating system and application set up. This might be an easier approach for less experienced administrators. But Microsoft's software bundle costs more and it may require hardware upgrades or replacement at some sites.

The applications in IBM's Small Business Pack for Linux were as easy to set up as the ones in Microsoft's Small Business Server 2000, and the resulting functionality was the same. I was able to leverage older hardware with the IBM solution since the hardware requirements are not as beefy as those needed for the Microsoft solution. And, the support options available for both solutions are on par. The IBM solution was less expensive overall. Also, the IBM solution will tend to scale better as your company grows. But either of these solutions could be used to run a small business.

Small Business Server 2000: ingredients

This Windows-based suite includes a bundle of products that can be used to support a small business of up to 50 people.

Windows 2000 Server

IIS 5.0 and routing and remote access services Exchange 2000 Server Outlook 2000 and instant-messaging function

SQL Server 2000

Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2000 (formerly known as Proxy Server) Shared Fax Service Shared Modem Service Health Monitor 2.1

Requirements

These are the minimum hardware requirements needed to run Microsoft's small-business software bundle.

Server:

Pentium II 300 MHz processor or greater 256MB RAM minimum; 512MB recommended for heavier use 4GB hard drive; 8GB recommended for fault tolerance Ethernet card VGA compatible display (256 colors) Fax modem or other modem(s) should you wish to use fax or modem sharing

Client(s): Pentium 90Mhz processor or greater 32MB RAM 250MB available hard drive space Ethernet card VGA compatible display 3.5-inch floppy drive

Maggie Biggs maggie@biggs.com is director of the InfoWorld Test Center, where she evaluates emerging technologies.